Psychiatric treatment ordered

Gunman from Biel to appeal court decision

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The Biel retiree, who barricaded himself in his home in September 2010, eluded police for nine days, and shot and severely injured a policeman, is appealing a court decision to place him in a psychiatric clinic.

The regional prosecutor’s office in Biel decided on Friday not to press charges because the man was not criminally liable and needed psychiatric treatment.

Based on a psychiatric evaluation, he was deemed to be suffering from severe delusions of persecution.

Defence counsel Philippe Kunz said that his client was "not happy" with the decision and that he plans to refer the ruling on appeal to the Bern Supreme Court.

The man, who was 67 years old at the time of the incident, had claimed for years that he was victimized by corrupt public officials, police and politicians, as well as his sister. His rampage, in which he shot at police at least eight times, was spurred by the impending forced auction of his home in Biel.

In a diary he kept in 2010, he recorded the same entry more than 400 times: “The pigs didn’t come today. I can live one more day.”

In spite of the fact that he was ruled mentally incompetent to stand trial, the pensioner was allowed to defend himself during the court proceedings that ended Friday.